GREENFIELD — The volunteers behind this year’s Lisa Muegge Feast of Plenty hope the meals they serve on Thanksgiving Day will be more plentiful than ever.
All are welcome at the Thanksgiving meal, which will take place at the Hancock County 4-H Exhibit Hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. This year’s menu will include turkey and dressing, mashed and sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, rolls and desserts.
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Organizer Janelle Burkhart said the event is hoping to serve up to 2,000 people this year. In 2018, it served approximately 1,600 meals.
No financial need is necessary to come to the event, Burkhardt said; the event is as much about providing fellowship and a sense of community as anything else. However, those in need will also be able to take home a bag of groceries.
Burkhart said volunteers begin working behind the scenes in June to put together the event, including working with local companies and 4-H families to secure food donations. All food served at the event is donated.
Large numbers of volunteers work to help the meal come together, providing services like serving food, deboning turkeys, acting as delivery drivers, and cleaning up after the event.
“A lot of people have helped out for over a decade. It is a Thanksgiving tradition,” Burkhart said.
Ty Hunt, the chief at Hancock Regional Hospital, is one of the volunteers who helps prepare food for the event. He has been involved with Feast of Plenty since its second year.
“It’s something that I can do with the God-given talents that I’ve been given,” Hunt said.
The day before Thanksgiving, Hunt will help smoke approximately 110 turkeys. Any food left over after the event will be donated to local organizations helping to fight hunger.
Hunt said the dedication shown by Feast of Plenty’s volunteers is an inspiring aspect of the Hancock County community.
“It’s really something to see,” he said.
This is the 14th year for the Feast of Plenty program. It was founded by Lisa Muegge, who contributed to community service in Hancock County in many capacities. She died in 2016.
“Lisa’s legacy is definitely continuing,” Burkhart said.
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Donations of pies and bagged groceries will be accepted at the 4-H fairgrounds from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27. A list of what to include in a grocery bag can be found online at feastofplentyoutreach.com; the contents of one bag should cost $18 to $20. These bags will be given to people on Thanksgiving Day.
To request a meal delivery on Thanksgiving, call (317) 335-7590. Those interested in volunteering can sign up at feastofplentyoutreach.com. Monetary donations to sponsor a turkey can be made at Greenfield Banking Company, with checks made out to Feast of Plenty in care of Jeff Muegge.
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